Travel + leisure december 2015

It is today, the ﬁ rst Hyatt property in the city.. Ruchira Bose ASSOCIATE EDITOR Aroma Sah Anant SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ragini Singh DIGITAL FEATURES EDITOR Anwesha Sanyal ART DIRECTO

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RAISING THE BAR: OUR ULTIMATE, SLIGHTLY TIPSY AND VERY BOOZY SPECIAL!

FLORENCE VIENNA AMSTERDAM

W&H EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

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12 Magical Places to Experience the Best of This Season

With city skylines glittering with illuminations and enough festive

delicacies to make everyone loosen their belt buckles a few notches,

Christmas is here once again T+L lists the most sparkling cities to

witness a marvelous festival

Chills Thrills And Spills

Wakeboarding, archery, the Giant’s Causeway, stomach-churning drives,

sea safari, body zorbing, pontoon jumping, and windsurﬁng—Harsimran

Shergill’s trip to Ireland was an adrenaline-pumping adventure and not

one of the countryside, autumn ﬂowers, and rolling hills

Deep in the valleys of the French frontier,Siddharth Dasgupta begins

to suspect that the soul of the country might well lie far away from its

celebrated cities

The Leading Edge

Amsterdam’s outskirts to the north and east have begun to hum with

creative energy and, asGisela Williams discovers, shift the centre of the

city itself.Photographs by Felix Odell

On the Cover

Eiffel Tower under the snow in Paris, page72

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T R A V E L + L E I S U R E / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5

departments

Here & Now

13 News, Trends, Discoveries

Fashion secrets in Oltrarno; Kanika Tekriwal’s favourites in Sao Paulo;

Amsterdam’s hottest bar; Rose street in Edinburgh; Michelin starred Chef

Atul Kochhar’s cuilnary trail; and more

Beyond

33 Four Walls For over 92 years, a building in Vienna’s Golden Quartier had

served as a prestigious bank in the Austrian capital It is today, the ﬁ rst

Hyatt property in the city

37 Urban Study A group of imaginative local entrepreneurs has transformed

the southeast London neighbourhood of Peckham—now even a parking

garage is a cool hangout.By Richard Godwin Photographs By Daniel Stier

40 In Good Spirits For New Year’s eve, raise a toast with some classic drinking

games and a few new additions that will get your friends sloshed in no time

By Apeksha Bhateja

42 Checking In The new jungle resort in Bali, Mandapa, is fully connected to

the culture of the island.By Max Anderson Photographs by Martin Westlake

46 Spotlight From sipping rum to trying world beers, Mauritius gently eggs you

on to let go of your drinking inhibitions.By Juhi Dua

48 Pilgrimage At the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field in northern Japan, sculptures

and installations ﬁ nd a revelatory home in the rural countryside Charles

Spreckley takes them in Photographs by Tetsuya Miura

a glass to Cheers!

Special

59 What’s for Honeymoon?

You are a couple now but are you similar when it comes your travel personality?

Figure out which among the six ﬁ ts you and your partner best and voila, we have honeymoon suggestions that are just perfect for you!

By Aparna Pednekar

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©2015 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc All Rights Reserved Preferred Guest, SPG, Le Méridien, and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affi liates.

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the 26th of November Seven years ago, on this day, I was on a holiday in Bali when I heard about

the terrorist attacks in Mumbai We lost a very dear family friend that day at The Oberoi, Mumbai

I remember spending the days during the attack not knowing whether he was alive or not We only

got to know when the last of the bodies were brought out It’s hard to describe the mix of fear, dread,

unease and hope that swims in your stomach during such a time

A fortnight ago, when the attacks happened in Paris, I had a similar sense of fear I had lived there,

had friends, teachers, my old landlady, colleagues from previous jobs—I hoped everyone was safe One

of the attacks had taken place on the road I lived on, and where the photography school I attended is

Thankfully, everyone I knew was unhurt But many others weren’t so fortunate

In the days that have followed, I see some travellers cancelling plans to Paris, fresh lot of travel

advisories being issued by some countries

On a cruise last year, the ship’s captain lamented to me that so many places in the world

that were beautiful, had incredible experiences to oﬀer travellers and rich histories had to drop

oﬀ itineraries because of war, strife and terrorism The ancient sites of Bamiyan, Damascus,

Euphrates and Tigris… among others

To me that is a travesty of the politics of ourtimes I get a horrible sense of unease to think thatthe beauty of lands, cultures and people are gettingscrubbed out with blood and hate

As this year comes to a close, the Travel+LeisureIndia-South Asia team stands with every beingand every destination in the world that has beenimpacted by terror and war We won’t cower, we willcontinue to travel, explore, write and talk about thesedestinations The sum of their magniﬁcence is greaterthan their dark moments The spirit of Christmas thisyear for us means celebrating beauty, history, people,art, music, stories and hope On our cover, the warmpink hues of a winter’s day sun surrounding theEiﬀel Tower as it stands stable, strong and proud isemblematic of that spirit We wish you a new year that

IT’S A STRANGE COINCIDENCE THAT I WRITE THIS MONTH’S EDIT NOTE TODAY,

@TLRuchiraon Twitter @pinterest/ruchirabose

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Ruchira Bose

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Aroma Sah Anant SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ragini Singh

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VOL 9 , ISSUE 112 Copyright © 2014 Exposure Media Marketing Pvt Ltd., 323 Udyog Vihar, Phase IV, Gurgaon – 122016, Haryana All rights reserved throughout the world Reproduction in any manner is prohibited Published by Xavier Collaco from Exposure Media Marketing Pvt Ltd., 323 Udyog Vihar, Phase IV, Gurgaon – 122016, Haryana Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18/35 Delhi-Mathura Raod, Faridabad, Haryana Editor: Ruchira Bose Travel+Leisure does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited publication material All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only Opinions expressed in the articles are of the authors and do not necessarily reﬂ ect those of the editors or publishers While the editors do their utmost to verify information published they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy Unsolicited material is sent at the owner’s risk and the publisher accepts no liability for loss or damage Materials in this publication may not be reproduced, whether in part or in whole, without the

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Penning Sorjouns

page 24

—

We remember Amish Tripathi

as the author whose debut

book, The Immortals of Meluha,

followed by two others, broke all records by becoming the fastest selling book series in the history of Indian publishing, making over C70 crores in sales

A member of the Eisenhower Fellow, the exclusive programme for remarkable leaders around the world, and one of the top 100 celebrities

in India three years in a row, Tripathi grew up in Rourkela, Odisha and earned a degree

at IIM Calcutta to pursue a 14-year-long career in ﬁ nancial services before writing took

to him He talks about the journeys that inspired his books

3Siddharth DasguptaWRITER

Champagne Confidential

page 86

—Siddharth Dasgupta is a novelist who also articulates travel experiences for some

of the world’s most acclaimed travel bibles His intense addiction to distant horizons can probably be traced back

to The Little Prince, devoured

from cover to end when he was 7 For its shrouded stories and air of sensual mystery,

he pinpoints Istanbul as his favourite city in the world

While oceans, ﬁ lms and conversation keep him chained

to a loose deﬁ nition of sanity, it’s only wanderlust that sates his perpetually restless heart

2Kanika TekriwalCONTRIBUTOR

The Jet Setter

page 22

—

An intriguing woman with

a story that inspires many, Kanika Tekriwal is the young CEO and co-founder

of JetSetGo, the private jet concierge in India and one of the world’s fastest growing aviation companies in the world Backed with funding by Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Ventures, and owing to her marketing skills, her company today has the wealthiest of clients including the Ferragamo family A marathon runner, traveller, and painter, who beat cancer

at an early age of 22, Tekriwal takes out time to give us an insight into her favourite spots

in Sao Paulo

4Gisela WilliamsT+L BERLIN CONTRIBUTOR

The Leading Edge

page 96

—Born in Connecticut, Gisela Williams has lived in many corners of the world moving from Bali, Bermuda, Brooklyn,

to Madrid and ﬁ nally settled

in Germany with her family

For more than a decade, she has contributed to magazines stories that proﬁ le visionaries,

or capture the cultural boom

in Berlin Now a European correspondent for Food & Wine with regular articles in The New York Times and T Magazine among others, she has her hands quite full Her heart though, belongs to Amsterdam where she witnesses constant reinvention She writes about her visit to the city

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*% #% +

$#%#& '

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THE BEST PICKS FROM OUR INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS

| Stay busy with your

phone, laptop, or book

to avoid pitying glances

from diners.

| Get into conversation with

other people eating alone,

and may be share a table.

| You gobble down your

food quickly and get out

Muggles in the US are picking up their broomsticks and heading to Florida this spring when Universal Studios finally opens doors to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Butterbeer and Every Flavour Beans, anyone?

TRAVEL MORE, INDIA

In the annual 2015 Vacation Deprivation survey by Expedia, it is revealed

that India is the fourth-most vacation-deprived nation globally About

67 per cent people feel that if they had more free days, they would travel to

new places Another interesting finding is that 54 per cent Indians would

rather have more vacation days than a pay hike.

@vabilicious takes us to Bibi Ka

15%

would request the parents to take control of the situation.

10%

would glare at the parents, hoping they will take the hint.

5%

would politely ask kids to behave

5%

will ask to

be seated someplace else.

Email (travelandleisure@emmindia.com)

or tweet us (@TNLIndia) your answers,

and we’ll publish the sharpest ones in

our next issue

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Made in Florence

Known for its rich history of craftsmanship, Oltrarno, the Tuscan capital’s

south bank, is luring style-focused visitors away from the city center

BY VALERIE WATERHOUSE PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANILO SCARPATI

In Florence, the south bank of the river

Arno has been a center for artisans since

the Renaissance More recently, the

men’s-wear and leather ateliers around

Palazzo Pitti have attracted a discreet

fan club of fashion insiders Now, in an

effort to lure more travellers to Oltrarno,

the Florentine government has been

pumping money into the neighbourhood

(the once traffic-clogged Piazza del

Carmine got a makeover earlier this

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year) Boutique hotels have opened, along

with innovative places to eat Perhaps

most notably of all, a new wave of artisans

is modernising and organising Oltrarno’s

dynamic craft culture, making it more

appealing to visitors than ever before

Matteo Perduca, a lawyer and

designer who is also one of the area’s

most prominent entrepreneurs, says,

“What’s really drawing people is the

energy that’s running through Oltrarno.”

With his partner, former Fortnum &

Mason packaging designer Betty Soldi,

Perduca runs AndCompany(and

company shop.com), a design studio and

shop that sells ceramics and stationery

adorned with calligraphy

Just down the street, three craftswomen

joined together to open Atelier Via Maggio

(atelier viamaggio.it) earlier this year The

store stocks handmade table linens and

home furnishings, many of them created in

the on-site workshop Close by, on a street

opposite the Palazzo Pitti museum,

designer Giulia Materia (giuliamateria.

com) has her namesake boutique

(The location is appropriate, since the

palazzo’s construction, in the 15th century,

lured other nobles to the area, thereby

creating work for many more craftsmen.)

The shelves of Materia’s shop are lined

with covetable tote bags, artisan-made clothes, and notebooks covered in 1970s wallpaper And on the hidden-away Via d’Ardiglione, Dimitri Villoresi

(dimitrivilloresi.com) opened a leather

workshop where he makes deconstructed, hand-stitched travel cases, bags, and other accessories

To provide shoppers with suitably stylish digs, Perduca and Soldi last year debuted SoprArno (soprarno suites.com;

doubles from US$169), an 11-room

guesthouse set in a 14th-century palazzo

Interiors combine original Florentine

CLOCKWISE: Designer Giulia Materia with her partner, Enzo, and their daughter, Anna; frescoed ceilings

at SoprArno; leather craftsman Dimitri Villoresi

features—frescoed ceilings and wooden rafters—with modern pieces like Arco lamps And this year, they are scheduled to open their second guesthouse, Ad Astra (adastra ﬁ renze.com; doubles from US$225), in a pa laz zo

belonging to the Marquis de Torrigiani Most of the inn’s nine rooms have views of Europe’s largest privately owned city garden, which surrounds the property.Several grassroots schemes to promote the area are also under way Perduca and Soldi formed Unusual Florence (unusual

ﬂ orence.blogspot.com), a group of

like-minded businesses that has produced

a shopping map and website In December, their Unusual Market will purvey holiday gifts at local hostel Ostello Tasso Materia and her partner, Enzo Sarcinelli, have also founded Sulle Tracce di Arnold (sulletracce

diarnold.it), a similar group of 22

Oltrarno-based shops and ateliers Both websites are excellent starting points for a self-guided shopping tour of the area Perduca has his sights set on yet more projects in the neighbourhood—opposite AndCompany is an empty shop he plans to convert into a café “It’s exciting,” he says

“A new renaissance for Oltrarno.”

Stefano Bemer |

Handmade shoes in every thing from hippo to 18th-century reindeer

skin stefano bemer.com

Campucc10 | One-off art, jewellery, and leather goods designed by young

artisans campucc10.com.

Signorvino | A new store and tasting room whose mission is to bring Italian wines to a broader

audience signorvino.com.

Castorina | Wood-carving workshop from 1895 that still produces over 5,000 objects, including

photo frames and adorable miniature

animals castorina.net

Black Spring | An alternative bookstore founded by a gardener that sells unusual nature-themed publications

10r Via di Camaldoli.

More Oltrarno Artisans BOTH NEW AND CL ASSIC

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IN JUST A YEAR,Jamini, the accessories and décor store from designer Usha Bora, has become a Parisian insider favourite Bora’s collection trades the typically neutral French palette for lively prints that she turns into cushions, quilts, scarves, shoes, and totes All products at the 10th Arrondissement store—which also include tree-free notebooks made from elephant or rhino dung—are made

by craftsmen in her native Assam, in north-eastern India,

or in the nearby states of Manipur, West Bengal, and Odisha This autumn, a second Jamini store opened south of Pigalle, adding carpets and perfumed candles; Bora will

debut a women’s-wear collection in spring From US$42;

jaminidesign.com — LINDSEY TRAMUTA

FAB FINDSColour Connection

CHIC INDIAN PRINTS, BY WAY OF PARIS

C

Your creations reﬂect the freshness of

modern cooking with vibrant colours and

distinct ﬂavours What are your plans for

Grand Hyatt Goa?

The idea is to give our restaurants a

new dimension by introducing modern

Australian cuisine Goa is known for fresh

seafood, which will constitute a big part of

our menu The whole idea is to keep

the dishes simple, fresh, and healthy

Q: Will we see inspirations from your

travels in your food?

Absolutely Having lived and holidayed in

different parts of the world has exposed

me to various forms of cooking, which I like

to incorporate into my dishes Sometimes,

Q&A

Whipping Up A Culinary Storm

In conversation with Grand Hyatt Goa’s Chef Mark Anthony Long who brings

to India modern Australian cuisine

all you need to do is add one ingredient from a region to change the entire look, feel, and taste of the dish I like to use local products and then twist them a bit

to create something different Our current menu features a rice pudding that is accompanied with a carrot and curry leaf sorbet that releases a burst of ﬂ avours and adds a whole new dimension to the dish, thanks to the crunch

Q: What’s your forecast for luxury

ﬁ ne dining?

Over the years luxury ﬁ ne dining has evolved into an authentic, comfortable experience wherein one not only enjoys great food but also takes home beautiful memories and

perhaps, learnings as well Gone are the days when people were willing to spend hours over an elaborate, over-the-top meal

on a table set with mind-boggling cutlery

Now, people prefer to indulge in authentic, local, and top-quality food And that is what Grand Hyatt Goa specialises in

Q: Ever had surprising requests from a celebrity?

After Tiger Woods completed one of the golf tournaments in New Zealand, he came to my restaurant on Lizard Island

So, I walked up to him to check if he was looking for something light or healthy

Much to my surprise, he requested a simple beef burger —RAMA AHUJA

Mark Anthony Long at Grand Hyatt Goa; potato lasagna with mushroom and chilli dressing.

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CHRISTMAS SPECIALFestive Cheer

Go bright Go cheerful Go red, green, and white

Don’t let your kitchen be about Christmas

dishes alone, create an environment with

products that light up the ambience.

1. Vista Alegre tableware in porcelain for your Christmas table; vistaalegre.com 2. Well-crafted KitchenAid enamel kettle to serve seasonal drinks and delicious soups; kitchenaidindia.com 3. Elvy cake stand and cup for your sweet treats; elvy.in 4. Cook and serve in Fujihoro casserole and coffee pot; fujihoroindia.com 5. The simple beauty of Le Creuset will liven up your evening; lecreuset.com

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Amsterdam’s hottest bar is at

The Conservatorium With over

30 varieties of gins and more

than six different tonics, their

magical concoctions will make

you forget the tame highball

We caught up with the man

behind the bar

bar manager After all, at Tunes Bar

things are run a little diﬀ erently Being

the ﬁ rst bar in Amsterdam to serve gin

& tonic, it has a reputation to live up

to It is commonplace to spot local and,

often enough, international celebrities

chatting with Hoevenagel about their

new favourite gin concoction Tunes Bar

(conservatoriumhotel.com) is a smartly

designed, chic space where one can

enjoy special champagnes and exclusive

cocktails besides surprising gin & tonics

paired with delicious Asian Tapas The

bar even organises evenings to teach

locals the art of serving and creating

the best gin & tonic—this goes by the

moniker Tunes Academy We asked

Hoevenagel about his favourites; see if

you can tell this man by his drink

is my all-time favourite This cocktail

is prepared with aged rum, sugar,

Angostura bitters and water and is the

best way to fully savour the pure and

intense ﬂ avours of rum

is prepared with the very ﬁ ne Malacca

Gin from Tanqueray (a limited-edition

gin) It is served with ﬂ owers to create an

interesting herbal experience and with

neutral biological tonic (to get the best out

of the pure gin ﬂ avours)

in Bali is a very famous club I enjoy being

here because all bartenders and servers

have an interesting individual style of

creating and serving, which adds more

zing to the entire experience

A drink that reminds you of home:

A Scottish whiskey single malt—this is

what I used to drink with my dad

AROMA SAH ANANT

+ Lucky Ms H Ladies that order this drink are the lucky Ms H (no points for guessing that H stands for Hoevenagel) This secret recipe works like

a charm + Nutmeg Symphony A cocktail recipe with nutmeg (one of the main trade products from V.O.C.) that is very much in ‘symphony’—this cocktail looks back to the history of The Conservatorium (a music school) This one works well as an after-dinner cocktail + The Don Canton A new cocktail that pairs beautifully with Asian and Japanese dishes from our restaurant Taiko + Copperhead G&T “This herbal gin is produced in Belgium but owned by three boys from Amsterdam We serve it with coriander to highlight the spices in the gin,” says Hoevenagel

FROM TOP: A bartender at the Tunes Bar in the Conservatorium Hotel; try one of these colourful G&Ts at the bar.

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The 5th Annual Godrej Properties Golf Challenge is back.

ò *OHW[LYZ ò 6]LY VSMLYZ ò YHUK 0U[LYUH[PVUHS -PUHSL

SWING FOR GLORY

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My ﬁ rst time in Sao Paulo My ﬁ rst trip

to the city was for business followed by

which I visited it during a very long South

American vacation in 2013 and I simply

fell in love with the city, its people, and

its amazing night life The city was pure

magic—we made new friends every single

day and ate the best food ever

Something I bring back on every trip

I always make an effort to get to the

municipal market and pick up various types

of nuts But, I don’t remember ever leaving

the country without new pairs of Havaianas

from the ﬂ agship store in Oscar Freire

where they let you customise your pair I’ve

got some with planes and even my name on

them Then for friends, I always carry a few

bottles of Cachaça.

My favourite store in the city I absolutely

love Juliana Benfatti’s antique store by

the same name They have the loveliest

trinkets and the amazing light ﬁ ttings

A restaurant to entertain for business

It would deﬁ nitely be D.O.M at Rua Barão

de Capanema for its amazing food and

elegant ambience

The eatery I go to with friends That would

be Kinoshito for their incredible Japanese

food I absolutely love their fare that can

transport you to restaurants of master

chefs in Tokyo

The bar for a casual get-together Nothing

beats the Sky Bar at the Unique hotel.

The hotel I bank upon for a good sleep

The Emiliano Hotel has an amazing location

and the rooms are very comfortable

My spot in the city The Ibirapuera Park

may not be the most beautiful but it is

the best place to relax and let loose—lie

down on the grass and read a book Sao

Paulo is much prettier by night and I can

stand gazing at the city sights and lights

all night from the terrace of a night club

called The Edge

FREQUENT TRAVELLER

The Jet Setter

IT IS WORK AS WELL AS PLEASURE THAT KEEPS KANIKA TEKRIWAL,

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER OF JETSETGO ALWAYS ON THE MOVE

A BUSINESS TRIP AND A VACATION LATER, SHE IS SO MUCH IN LOVE

WITH SAO PAULO THAT EVEN THE 20-HOUR FLIGHT DOESN’T DETER

HER TO VISIT HER FAVOURITE DESTINATION IN THE WORLD

FROM TOP: D.O.M at Rua Barão de Capanema; the Sao Paulo skyline; The Emiliano Hotel;

Ibirapuera Park

LEFT: Kanika Tekriwal, CEO and co-founder, JetSetGo

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FROM A RISING STAR

TO A GLOBAL POWER.

CAN INDIA BE THE WORLD’S

BRIGHT SPOT?

PRESENTING THE 13TH HINDUSTAN TIMES LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

CAN INDIA BE THE WORLD’S BRIGHT SPOT?

DECEMBER 4-5, 2015

30 GREAT LEADERS 15 INSPIRING SESSIONS 2 DAYS OF DISCUSSION.

Media partners Creative partner

Writing Instruments Partner Bespoke Partner

Summit Partners Country Partner Banking Partner Associate Partners Education Partner

NARENDRA

MODI JAITLEYARUN KIDMANNICOLE CHAPPELIAN KAREENAKAPOOR LAWRENCE H.SUMMERS

From a soaring young population to strong defense

capabilities and a growing economic clout, India is

beaming with endless possibilities on the world stage

Will the world’s largest democracy shift gears and

become a superpower?

Watch the greatest minds of our time come together

to discuss and deliberate the road ahead at

the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2015.

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Terribly private, a stickler for punctuality, and gifted with a mad

sense of humour, AMISH TRIPATHI is the mind behind the riveting

Shiva trilogy: Immortals of Meluha, Secret of the Nagas, and

Oath of the Vayupturas He shares with T+L the journeys that

have played a role in his works.

I LEAN TOWARDS

of the past, delving into

what has happened

hundreds and

thousands of years ago

And travelling is a deep

passion, it feeds my

mental appetite So, the

two blend perfectly as

I choose places to move

through for the best

learning

It was in pursuit of

a sense of the ancient

that I visited Hampi in

Karnataka almost

10 years ago The

sheer scale of the city,

even in its ruins, is

absolutely baffl ing

What I found most

intriguing was the

layout: the mammoth

scale of the entire

township from the

breadth of the roads

to the access to the

temples—these were

more than places of

worship; they were

centres of congregation

for all the inhabitants,

bringing in a sense of

cohesion amongst the

dwellers The detailed

mapping of the city of

Meluha (in Immortals

that stirred something

deep within me was

when the guide stepped

up on the accelerator

as even if a single cub would have landed on any human, things could have got quite dangerous But I got to study, at a very deep level the behaviour of the big cats The trip demystiﬁ ed the social structure of the four-legged community

Then, there was a particular incident that

I experienced with a herd of elephants that is indelible It

Santorini I arrived in

a cruise liner with my wife, Preeti, and the sheer magniﬁ cence of the location stunned

me It were as if a giant knife has sliced out that bit of land from within, like a scoop, with diﬀ erent layers

of rocks visible in the horse-shoe shaped structure that stands today It appears as if the sea then simply

ﬂ owed in I loved walking around the beach From Santorini,

I went up to the isthmus of Corinth, the narrow bridge which links the Peloponnese peninsula to the Greek mainland The setting

of the scenes in the

Secret of the Nagas, of

the huge ships being dragged from the sea

to the land, germinated

in my mind during my visit here

My visit to Kenya and the ﬁ rst safari

I went on with Preeti and our son, Neel, was

a brilliant experience as well We were travelling with our guide in a Land Rover when a leopard jumped onto the vehicle and stayed put there It was a stunning moment—not knowing how to react with the beast inches away from my face

The four of us were completely silent Her cubs arrived soon enough and that is

FROM TOP: Author Amish Tripathi; the beautiful ruins

of Hampi; an encounter with the jumbos in Kenya; the Isthmus of Corinth

runs deep within me and I have brought it into the script of my next book You’ll read

it soon enough

I believe travel

oﬀ ers the best learning

in life Even during

my early days as a struggling author,

I always invested in travelling as it simply throws open the mind and the soul to soaking

up new experiences

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The events planned in

December will give you the final

nudge to plan a trip to Macau

before the year ends

M A C A U M O M E N T S

PROMOTION

Macau Shopping Festival 2015

All through December

Keep your wallets ready because the annual shopping festival of Macau is back this year with its fourth installment

Organised by the Macau Shopping Festival

2015 Organizing Committee and the Macau Government Tourist Ofﬁ ce, this festival is a happy occasion for shoppers, for all major shopping malls and stores offer huge discounts and great promotions That’s not it—the opening ceremony of this festival glitters with celebrities, and A-listers, who come to kick off the celebrations

Macau International Marathon

December 6

The Macau International Marathon is a fun event that brings a large number of local

as well as international athletes to the city

First organised in 1981, the full course runs through the Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane, but the best part is that it’s not only for professionals Amateurs can also partake

in the race—Half-Marathon and Marathon are especially planned for short

of this parade which will set the stage on

ﬁ re with exciting performances

Macau x LEGO® Exhibition

Till December 28

For the ﬁ rst time ever, the Macau Government Tourist Ofﬁ ce and LEGO HK have collaborated to present a unique exhibition at the Ritz Building in Senado Square and Macau Science Centre Over

120 thousand bricks have been used

by Andy Hung, the LEGO® Certiﬁ ed Professional, to create iconic landmarks of Macau Steal a glance at these structures, and get awed by their magniﬁ cence For photographers, it is a double treat with workshops and photography sessions.

FOR A

YEAR-END

FIESTA

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Between drawing applause to

his culinary rhapsodies abroad

(at all his restaurants including

Ananda in Ireland, Indian

Essence in Kent, and Benaras

in London) and lending quirky

spins to traditional recipes, the

two Michelin-star chef unveiled

his ﬁrst Indian gourmet

crucible, NRI (Not Really Indian)

in Mumbai His food journey

that started on a humble

note in Jamshedpur soon

catapulted him into a

globetrotting world-class chef

1974

Jamshedpur, India

“I was introduced to food through mydad’s bakery—I remember the heady smell of yeast and ﬂ our, and sourcing trips to the local market At a neighbour’s house here, I ﬁ rst tasted a meat pickle

It was packed with red chillies, vinegar, coriander, and lamb—I can still smell it.”

1991

New Delhi, India

“While studying in Delhi, I had prepared the traditional Bengali macche jhol My

rendition was pan-fried bekti, wrapped in

ﬁ lo, with bone paste dissolved into mashed tomato and aubergine curry, and pureed rice shaped into dumplings I was told not

to ‘mess around with traditional recipes’.”

2003

London, UK

“When my pregnant wife was craving for spicy curries I discovered Lahori Karahi. Run by a Pakistani family, the

place serves cracking curries—from

kadhai chicken curry, kaleji masala, to bheja fry It’s still my favourite takeaway

joint in the city.”

of sugar (that had to be smashed with

a spoon) stuffed with juicy berries, and served with clotted cream The creation was dramatic and delicious.”

2014

Brazil, South America

“A 17-course meal at D.O.M (domrestaurante.

com.br) meant everything from wines to salt

was local The beautiful restaurant serves rustic and fresh preparations Their amuse-bouche set the mood with perfectly-cut square piece of fresh pineapple and a giant red ant on top.”

2013

Kotor, Montenegro

“I had an unforgettable Slavic meal at Ćatovića

Mlini (catovica-mlini.com) Fresh water from a

tiny stream ﬁ lled up jugs for the tables; and the

catch of the day featured on the menu I can go

back any day for that bowl of shrimps—lightly

grilled with ground olive oil and served with aioli.”

TIMELINE

A Culinary

Trail

London-based

Michelin-starred Chef Atul Kochhar

shares his most memorable

food experiences

— AS TOLD TO SHILPI MADAN

B

“H f

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THE DISH

Basque Country’s

New Flavour

GERALD’S BAR | This outpost of a

Melbourne-based bar serves Basque food

from an El Bulli alum by day (get the rabbit

terrine), and English chef Nick Hughes

produces fantastic steak tartare by night

geraldsbar.eu; entrées US$7–US$22

BODEGA DONOSTIARRA | At this

old-school spot, it’s all about the classic

BAR PAGADI | Around the corner from Bar Ricardo, this place combines traditional dishes (bold-ﬂ avoured tripe omelettes) and reﬁ ned favourites (perfectly

crisp cod fritters) pagadi taberna.es;

pintxos from US$2

THE LOAF | The speciality at this beachfront bakery is a tangy sourdough; for something sweet, try the fresh-from-the-

oven caramel-banana bread theloaf.es;

snacks from US$2.— PAT NOURSE

IN INSOMNIAC SPAIN, calling a place sleepy is always relative But it’s certainly true of

Gros, an unsung culinary gold mine across the river from San Sebastián’s old town For

years, the area’s big draw has been surfer beaches and the Kursaal, a striking contemporary

arts centre There is, however, a reason to linger—ﬂ awless food served in spaces that don’t

require battling for elbow room (or making months -out reservations) Go soon: Andoni Luis

Aduriz, from nearby Mugaritz, one of the world’s great molecular gastronomy destinations,

is opening a restaurant there It’s only a matter of time before the crowds descend

pintxos (small bites) Order braised beef

with tomato and satisfying tortilla de patata

bodega donostiarra.com; pintxos from US$2.

BAR RICARDO | Mugaritz staﬀ ers go

here for the city’s best jamón croquettes,

golden on the outside and molten within

6 Calle General Artetxe; 34-94-327-0561;

pintxos from US$2

The dining area at the Loaf, a bakery in Gros that serves fresh-from-the-oven specialities like caramel-banana bread

A seductive smell with spicy top notes of cardamom and nutmeg, and seductive woody notes of blue Atlas cedar for the modern man,

C4,750 for 100 ml.

VERSACE EROS POUR FEMME

Peony for a velvety touch, lemon ﬂ ower for vibrance, and creamy sandalwood with heady musk for the subtle mystery

C7,700 for 100 ml.

ISSEY MIYAKE PLEATS PLEASE

This edition perfume

limited-by Aurelin Guichard has a

ﬂ oral base and luminous accords

of raspberry and lychee

C6,300 for 90 ml.

DUNHILL ICON

For the suave world traveller, the Italian Bergamot is intertwined with black pepper, and lavender de Provence, and a leathery ﬁ nish

C5,515 for 100 ml

MOSCHINO FOREVER SAILING

Icy mint, lavender and juniper berries, musk and patchouli for those always in motion, C5,325 for 100 ml.

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ON RADAR THIS MONTH | SCOTLAND | EDINBURGH

Squeezed between the better known Princes Street and George Street lies a little lane that is somewhat of a misnomer, because it’s anything but shy and retreating Rose Street’s relatively residential days seem miles away; now, with an array of restaurants, cafes, shops and many, many bars along its pedestrianised road with mosaic rose inlays, it’s fair to say that it has ﬂ ourished in full bloom Whether you grab a bite at the casual chic ‘The Rose Hip’ or pick up a seriously great sandwich at ‘Brunch’, you will feel the need to balance out the temptations of Rose Street, which cover drinking establishments with historical overtures, and casual bars with cheeky undertones The rather infamous Rose Street Challenge involves a drink at every bar, which is strictly for the brave of

heart; we reckon if there ever were a chance to be brave, in Scotland it should be —ADITI DATTA

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HAPPY HOURS

Holiday Tipple

If the festive season drives you to drink, make it a Christmas special at these bars BY APEKSHA BHATEJA

Pan-seared black pomfret with beet root puree and chilli butter

PREGO, THE WESTIN

GURGAON

Cost for two: C6,000 plus

taxes

Happy Hours: WOW weekends

with free ﬂ ow of red and white

wines and beers at C3,200

Great Cocktail: Negroni

Sbagliato

Must-try Dishes: Antipasto

misto, vitello Milanese,

lasagna, and Pizza Prego

Contact: 91-124/497-7841

Cool Quotient: An Italian

restaurant with an extensive

collection of wines,

international boutique beers,

and cocktails A Christmas

special A la carte menu is on

the cards.westingurgaon.com

TABULA BEACH CAFÉ |DELHI

Cost for two: C1,600 approx

Happy Hours: One plus one

on IMFL and two plus one on imported; everyday 12 pm –

8 pm; extended happy hours

on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; free drinks for ladies

on Tuesday and Wednesday

Great Cocktail: The Devil’sPoison

Must-try Dishes: The BeachSpecial menu; chicken wings,and pizza

Contact: 91/991-016-9745Cool Quotient: ‘Christmas

in Wonderland’ party to behosted—try red velvet ladybirdcake, Kahlua Eggnog, andPeppermint Frost

THE BLACK SHEEP BISTRO

Great Cocktails: CinnamonWhiskey Sour, LemonMeringue, and Amante Picante

Must-try Dishes: Homemadepolenta with harrisa tossedvegetables, eggless walnutbrownie,poha crusted chicken ladoos.

Contact: 91/988-173-1901Cool Quotient: It’s housed in a100-year-old building Try theirX-Mas and New Year’s specialmenu.blacksheepbistro.in

THE BAR STOCK EXCHANGE, BANDRA |MUMBAI

Cost for two: C1,500 approx.Happy Hours: 6 pm – 1.30 am; trade live in spirits with a real-time app with prices at low as Old Monk at C17

Great Cocktails: Cocoa Tree,Benarasi Rum, and Fresh FruitRed Wine Sangria

Must-try Dishes: Popcornchicken tikka, chickenquesadillas, and aloo chaatmartini

Contact: 91-22/2600-8833Cool Quotient: A tech-savvybar that lets you monitor prices

on an app X-Mas drinks such

as Berry Christmas and HollyDaze.barstockexchange.com

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SUPER SAVER

The Carlyle Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.

This Art Deco–inspired newcomer will help you maximise your time at the Downtown Holiday Market, featuring more than

160 artisans, by providing cab fare and a gift certiﬁ cate to kick off the fun The Deal Two nights in a Deluxe room, US$312 for two, through January 31 Save 37% carlylehoteldc.com

EUROPE

AVALON WATERWAYS

The cities on this Danube cruise, from Prague to Vienna, are magical when draped in snow; take in the view with seasonal treats, like mulled wine and gingerbread biscuits The Deal Two nights in Prague and six nights aboard the Impression, from US $1,659 per person, double; book by January 31 Save 30% avalonwaterways.com

BELGIUM

CROISIEUROPE

Belgium has some of Europe’s finest markets, with skating rinks, illuminated chalets, and handmade crafts This itinerary visits three of them in four days The Deal Three nights aboard the Modigliani, US $465 per person, double; valid for December sailings Save 30% croisi europe rivercruises.com

VIENNA

GRAND FERDINAND

The Austrian capital’s latest opening has a rooftop overlooking the Ringstrasse and friendly staff who’ll warm you

up with goulash and champagne after a day of outdoor holiday shopping The Deal Three nights in a standard room,

US $690 for two, December 1– January 31 Save 32% grandferdinand.com

CHICAGO

HOTEL LINCOLN

This retro Lincoln Park property will arrange a day of ice skating, picking out stocking stuffers at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, and more The Deal Two nights in a junior suite, US $338 for two;

book by January 31 Save 30% hotellincolnchicago.com

DENVER

ART HOTEL

Navigate the enormous Christkindl Market with a guide from this recent downtown debut, whose rooms have works selected by a former Denver Art Musem curator Gift wrapping and shipping (by elves, of course)

is on the house The Deal Two nights in a suite, US $600 for two, through January 31

Save 34% thearthotel.com

— LISA CHENG

The Old Town Square Christmas market,

in Prague

T+L DEALS

Market Values

One of the greatest things about travelling in December is walking the holiday bazaars

This month’s deals sample the best of them, whether on a cruise or at a new city hotel.

Trang 35

Park Hyatt Vienna’s

impressive facade at twilight.

For over 92 years, this grand building in Vienna’s

Golden Quartier had served as one of the most prestigious banks in the Austrian capital

In 2008, it closed for an elaborate three-year

renovation It’s today the first Hyatt property in the city,

and one of the most elegant places to park yourself as

you explore this jewel in Europe

k o

Trang 36

D E B U T

OVER A 100 YEARS OLD, this beautiful

building had served as one of the

Austrian capital’s grandest banks until,

in 2008, when it closed It has now

emerged after a ﬁ ve-year conversion as

a ﬁ ve-star hotel, with no expense spared

inside its marble walls

The Art Nouveau cashier hall is

now an elegant restaurant, the offi ces

have been transformed into hi-tech

guest rooms and the former bank’s

underground vault could only become

one thing: a gold-lined swimming pool

Looking onto the pool through the

original armoured door – still with its

huge antique locks – before tip-toeing

into the water and standing on tiles

shimmering with gold leaf, I couldn’t

feel anything but grand

The pool is one of Park Hyatt

Vienna’s most nakedly upmarket

attractions And yet, this is not an

ostentatious hotel Luxury is imparted

by matching the building’s period

detail with stylish, low-key modernity

The interior has maintained many

of the original designs of the bank, but

careful artistic additions, inspired by

early 20th-century jewellery, mean

you don’t feel as if you are staying in

the Innere Stadt branch of HSBC

The leather seats and dark wood

of the whisky and cigar lounges are

an intimate setting for a night cap,

FROM TOP :

A Park King Room; the Arany Spa swimming pool; the grand but cosy library.

Trang 37

and the restaurant’s high ceilings

and brass ﬁ ttings give meals a classy

setting Breakfast here is by far one

of the most elaborate you’ll ﬁ nd in

Europe And the dinner menu features

Austria’s best artisanal produce

personally handpicked by the Chef

In the spare hours before my ride to

the airport, I also decided to check out

the Zen-like spa and tried a deep and

relaxing back massage

I hadn’t reckoned on just how

intensive it would be “You need a

medical massage,” the dexterous

therapist advised, looking rather

concerned “I need another holiday,”

I thought The gold-lined pool with it’s

orignal Vault door wouldn’t be a bad

place to start

Location

Despite being in the middle of

Vienna’s historic ﬁ rst district, the

Innere Stadt, the hotel’s doors

open on to Am Hof which receives

little attention from tourists, and is

therefore discrete Just around the

corner, Bognergasse is the city’s home

of designer fashion, boutiques and

high-street brands – along with the

major attractions – that are within easy

walking distance

Comfort

To many, the Park Hyatt brand is

synonymous with the Tokyo branch

immortalised in Lost In Translation

But unlike Bill Murray’s Bob Harris,

I didn’t have to struggle with the

hotel’s intuitive technology, capable of managing the blinds with just a touch

of a button, and the sexy temperature and water control panel ﬂ ush with the surface on the topside of the bath tub

I was impressed When I asked the hotel’s head of PR about it, she made an interesting observation “Today, we have

to have technology in the rooms that can outdo what our guests may have

at home.”

My standard double room was large and opulent, done out with parquet ﬂ oors, rich wood, marble and mother-of-pearl Each room bears

a strong stamp of vintage Viennese aesthetic You’ll ﬁ nd enlarged metal and lacquer work pieces that replicate decorative combs and pins from the early 1900s The rooms look on the side streets and the front courtyard

From my room, t here was a lovely

street corner view with large red Christmas baubles that hung over the lanes that connect the city’s most luxurious shopping district

Special note

Once in a while, even in my seemingly over-pampered and luxe-coloured life as

a travel magazine editor, I’m surprised

by a deeper shade of kindness, generosity and warmth I’m met with You would think I get that all the time, but I don’t Not to this level, at least A certain standard of care and welcome, I

or any high-end traveller meets with, is expected of brands of stature

But this experience went above and beyond that I was travelling to Vienna

in January from Delhi, on business class on Eithad Airways The ﬂ ight from Delhi was delayed in departure, but still managed to land while my

The Bank, the hotel’s grand restarant;

the Grand Salon that once was part of the boardroom and ofﬁ ces of the chairman of the bank;

the Bel Epoque Suite living room.

Trang 38

D E B U T

next ﬂ ight had just started boarding

But for some strange reason, I found

myself at the gate being told I had

been bumped oﬀ the ﬂ ight I had been

put on one that was departing the

next morning at 8 am, and took me to

Vienna via Dusseldorf where I’d have

a 5-hour layover I had meetings in

Vienna, and was only going to be in

town for three days That was not all,

at 230 am, I found myself bounced

back and forth between the transfer

desks and the lounge I reminded the

staﬀ at Etihad to make sure my bags

get put on the new ﬂ ight, they assured

they’d done the needful Exhausted,

frustrated, with no change of clothes and no airport hotel for the night, I wandered Abu Dhabi airport at 4am (which seemed to have only a handful

of shops), only to ﬁ nd really expensive glittery Armani T shirts for 16-year-olds I ended up buying a men’s shirt from Ralph Lauren For the ﬁ rst time

in my life, I spent the night on a couch

in a lounge Took my fl ight in the morning to arrive in Dusseldorf to be told Etihad hadn’t booked my onward tickets correctly Well, they had fi ve hours anyway to book me the right way Again, I reminded them that I hoped my bags were on the right fl ight

They assured me that they were When

I arrived in Vienna on a cold Saturday evening, I discovered how wrong that was I had been handed over to Air Berlin which has customer service that possibly dates back to the 1700s

I lodged my complain and was told

to call and check on the status And if within three days I didn’t get my bags, then they would put in a request to compensate me for lost luggage I told them I was to be back in India in three days It didn’t matter I had a brand new winter wardrobe in the suitcase

It didn’t matter The driver who had been patiently waiting for me for over two hours (it took that long to register the complains of ﬁ ve customers), warned me ﬁ rst thing that Vienna stores would be closed the next day because it was Sunday

I thought my trip was jinxed But

in my ﬁrst few minutes of walkinginto Park Hyatt Vienna, the annoyanceand frustration started to melt away

The staﬀ had intuitively put together

a survival kit of essentials, told me

to change into their cosy robes whilethe clothes that were on me wouldget laundered overnight Over thenext three days, I lived in two shirtsand one pair of jeans and socks, thatwere freshly laundered every night,and delivered at 6am every morning

They even generously oﬀered severalhundred Euros so I could shop for newthings on Monday morning AntoniaFelgner, the communications manager

of the hotel and their front desk staffcalled the elusive Air Berlin lost luggagecentre at the airport every hour — allthrough the days Antonia even calledfriends she knew who had sufferedsimilar experiences and found that itwas best to simply go to the airportand look for the luggage in some vastholding area They sent a car to do so.The evening before I was to leave, theluggage finally arrived In all theseyears, I’ve rarely seen a hotel go to suchdistances to help a stranded guest

Park Hyatt Vienna, Am Hof 2, Vienna, Austria (00 43 1 2274 01234;

vienna.park.hyatt.com), Doubles start

at €375 room only.

FROM TOP : Lounge; the Park Hyatt has the best and most luxurious of Vienna’s stores right around the corner.

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U R B A N S T U D Y

WHEN IT COMES TO WEATHER, Londoners know that low expectations come with their own consolations When the clouds do clear in this city—on, say, a rose-tinted evening

in early autumn—the transformation has the feel of a rehearsed miracle There are few better places to take in such moments than outside Peckham Rye station, in southeast London Reggae bass lines boom from parked cars; children chase one another down barbecue-scented alleys; homebound commuters loosen their ties and sniﬀ the air for gin

“Excuse me, is there a bus near here in which you can eat

a pizza?” an Italian woman asked passersby on Rye Lane

on one such golden evening “Probably!” one of them replied It turned out the pizza bus had been here a week ago but had now moved to nearby Deptford Such are the migratory patterns of street-food concessions in hipper-by-the-minute south London

On the FastTrack

A group of imaginative local entrepreneurs has transformed the southeast

London neighbourhood of Peckham—now even a parking garage is

a cool new hangout BY RICHARD GODWIN PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL STIER

I was looking for the Bussey Building, once a cricket-bat factory, now an arts space/club/goodness knows what else Repurposing is all the rage in Peckham There’s also

a multi-storey parking garage that has served as a venue for opera and a mysterious musical genre known as

‘Marxist Chillwave.’ There’s a disused railway that’s set to be remade as

a park in the style of New York’s High Line (locals are calling it the Rye Line) and a pool hall that hosts

‘post-dubstep’ club nights.

It wasn’t so long ago that anywhere south of the Thames (an area to which taxi drivers famously feared to venture) felt exotic, slightly dangerous, even Peckham, in particular,

was counted among London’s most deprived neighbourhoods—its name

Peckham’s Frank’s Café, with its panoramic views of London

Trang 40

an almost comical byword for grim

In Britain, it’s known as the home of

Del Boy, the working-class hero of the

Margaret Thatcher–era TV comedy

Only Fools and Horses Its housing

projects had, in bygone years, a

reputation for gang crime Even now,

the pavement of Rye Lane, where piles

of plantains and pineapples spill into

the path of oncoming buses, can feel

bracingly hazardous

But now that fashionable boroughs

in the east of the city, such as

Hackney, have taken gentriﬁ cation to

its logical conclusion (i.e., bankers),

Peckham is gradually assuming their

mantle Up-and-coming artists,

many of them graduates from the

nearby Camberwell College of Arts,

are reclaiming the area’s industrial

spaces, while young families are

established communities Even

as great districts fall to the developers,

it still feels like a Londoner’s London

A key moment in the Peckham revival was Transport for London’s extension of the Overground line

in 2012 The scheme joined various neglected bits of track into a ring route that runs through east and southeast London’s hipster heartlands (Dalston, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Deptford…) Once tricky to get to, Peckham became accessible to all Since it’s orange

on the Tube map, it’s aﬀ ectionately known as the Ginger Line

The area’s renaissance owes as much to ground-up spirit as it does to

snapping up its appealing, era housing Now Frank’s Café—a panoramic hangout on the roof of the aforementioned parking garage—

Victorian-has queues on summer nights, while Bar Story and Peckham Springs compete for its customers The food scene counts as one of the city’s most vibrant, with small and unusual restaurants opening at a dizzying rate

Even the bollards on leafy Bellenden Road are avant-garde—the work of sculptor Antony Gormley But while

British Vogue may have anointed

Peckham as the place to be, it retains

a cherishable balance of productivity and leisure, newcomers and

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT :

Street life on Peckham’s Bellenden Road; Mickey Smith, co-founder of the Bussey Building; a rooftop screening

at the Bussey Building; the Nines café, downstairs